Article November 6, 2006 Issue

Timeless life-guides

BY ROBERT STRANATHAN

THEY EXPRESS the eternal wisdom and love of God to all of humanity. They will never be outdated. They apply to solving every discordant human condition. Ideally, people follow the Ten Commandments not out of fear of what would happen if they disobeyed them, but because they naturally love good, which comes from God. People follow what they know and love.

The First Commandment acknowledges only one Mind or God, and disputes the validity of the material senses' assertion of many conflicting minds. As individuals think and act under the guidance of this Mind, they inevitably will help heal society worldwide because our thinking determines our experience. Mary Baker Eddy wrote, "Jesus urged the commandment, 'Thou shalt have no other gods before me,' which may be rendered: Thou shalt have no belief of Life as mortal; thou shalt not know evil, for there is one Life,—even God, good" (Science and Health, pp. 19-20). Jesus called this "the first and great commandment." And the second, he said, was "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself" (Matt. 22:38, 39).

When we accept that God is Spirit, we see that the First Commandment is a call to know life as spiritual, not mortal, and certainly not in a material body. Relying on the fact that God is all-powerful and always present, we are free to trust that He is in control of every aspect of our lives. We are released from the bondage of sickness, sin, and death. This spiritual awareness helps us heal ourselves and others. Strengthened by this conviction, the Psalmist could say, "In God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me" (Ps. 56:4). He knew that Spirit determined his—and everyone's—life, not matter.